X3: Rise of the Phoenix
by nerdy uke
Summary: Movieverse. Post-X2 AU. In the wake of Alkali Lake, tensions between mutants and humans are at a breaking point. Also, the reappearance of an old team member resurrects old demons; just what does Emma Frost really want? COMPLETE! Watch for X4 soon!
1. Recovery

_Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward._

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**X-Men 3: Rise of the Phoenix**

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**_Recovery_**

The stillness of the night air was shattered by a scream.

The large, empty corridor echoed the woman's rapid footsteps as she covered the short distance between the duty room and the girls' dormitory. She knocked quickly so they knew she was coming in, but didn't wait for an answer before entering.

"Is everything alright?" she asked in a sympathetic tone before she even finished closing the door.

All of the girls were gathered around one bed, its original occupant now shaking in Rogue's arms. Rogue smiled sadly up at Storm. "Another dream," she explained with a mixture of sympathy and fatalism.

"I'm sorry," Jubilee whispered between sobs. "I just…"

The girls gave Storm a clear path to the bed as she swiftly strode over, knelt, and placed her hand on Jubilee's shoulder. "It's alright," she soothed. "You're safe now."

Jubilee bit her lip and nodded, still looking guilty. "I—"

"It's all right," Storm repeated firmly. "Do you think you'll be able to go back to sleep now?"

"Yes," Jubilee answered quickly, looking around at the others gathered around her bed. "I—I'm sorry I woke you all up."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Storm assured her. She motioned at Rogue, who without further instruction joined her in the hallway.

"It's been hard for her," Rogue explained as they moved out of earshot of the dormitory. "After what Striker put her through…"

Storm nodded, indicating no further explanation was needed. Jubilee was one of the students captured by William Striker and subjected to numerous tortures at his Alkali Lake facility.

"Do you think you'll be able to look after her?"

"Oh, yeah," Rogue answered confidently. "She just needs some time."

Storm smiled warmly at the younger woman. Though Rogue's status as a student technically gave her the same standing as the rest of the girls, her field experiences with the X-Men had obviously had an effect on her. Storm was quickly learning to rely on her as a leader among the other students. "Thank you, Rogue. Now you try to get some rest, too."

Rogue smiled sleepily and turned back to the girls' dormitory.

Storm was reassured, but still concerned. Jubilee was recovering, but no one so young should have experienced that ordeal in the first place.

Recovery. That word seemed to be on everyone's minds after Alkali Lake.

Storm's musings were interrupted by the sound of someone rummaging around in the kitchen. Curious, Storm stepped in expecting to have to reprimand some student for being out of bed past lights' out. Instead, she was surprised to find one of the adult residents of the Mansion going through the refrigerator in obvious agitation.

"Logan?"

A grunt was the only response at first, but after his fruitless search Wolverine slammed the refrigerator closed in frustration and turned to face her.

"No beer," he stated simply.

"No," Storm agreed, frowning in concern. "You know that."

"Wishful thinking," Logan replied with a shrug. He moved to exit the kitchen, stepping around her in the process.

Storm said, "Hey," and tried to stop him with a hand on his arm, which he shrugged off.

"I need to be alone," he informed her curtly.

"No you don't," Storm answered with a surprising amount of feeling.

Logan merely scoffed and kept walking.

Storm sighed. It wasn't just Jubilee. Everyone was recovering at their own pace and in their own way.

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Several hundred miles away, the man who shared Wolverine's grief walked at Professor Xavier's side. Scott Summers showed fewer obvious signs than his frustrated counterpart back at the Mansion, but his expression betrayed a certain weight in his emotions.

"Thank you again for joining me on this trip, Scott," Xavier said as they approached the entrance.

"Of course, Professor," Cyclops answered.

"I know the past few weeks have been difficult for you…"

"It's good to have something to focus on," Scott assured him. "And the sooner we have a lead on Magneto's location… the better."

Xavier sighed. "Yes. I fear no amount of effort will ensure a lasting peace between mutant and human until Eric is safely back in custody." He paused. "I understand that Logan is not… reacting quite the same way."

"He'll be ready when the time comes," Scott said.

Xavier nodded.

"I was going to ask her to marry me, you know." It was the first time in a while he had even alluded to Jean.

Xavier smiled sadly. "It would have been the greatest of joys to witness that."

Though lesser known, the Academy of Tomorrow was actually much larger facility than Xavier's Institute of Higher learning. Located in the aptly named Snow Valley the campus included separate student dormitories, a gymnasium, library, and all the numerous classroom buildings one would expect to find on a college campus, in addition to the main administrative building Xavier and Cyclops were entering.

When Scott and Charles stepped into the entryway, they were met by a very surprising – and very blue – face.

"Henry!" Xavier greeted, delighted.

"Charles, Scott," Henry McCoy, aka Beast, answered with equal warmth, clasping their hands in turn. "Always a pleasure."

"And a surprising one!" Xavier resumed as Beast led them down the hall. "How long have you been at Snow Valley?"

"My rather generous research grant began about a month ago. I've found it vastly more agreeable than the talkshow circuit."

Xavier frowned slightly. "I'm sorry to hear the general population will not be benefiting from your insight. It was a pleasure – and an asset – to hear your voice so often rising above the fray."

Beast sighed. "The pleasure, I assure you, was not mine. I fear there are many who are simply not ready to see someone quite as unusual as myself so frequently."

Xavier's frown deepened. They stopped in front of a door, but the professor did not immediately enter when Beast held it open for him. "Henry… I had always heard you speak so optimistically of the future prospects for human-mutant relations. It saddens me to hear such a powerful voice silenced by fatalism."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Charles," Beast answered simply. "But I've found it much more… agreeable to remove myself from the society of humans. For the present, at least."

"Well, I can only hope that you will come to recognize the wisdom of your earlier position," Charles countered gravely. But the warmth returned to his expression as he concluded, "And I _am_ glad to see you again."

"The pleasure, in this case, is certainly mutual," Beast agreed. He nodded at Cyclops. "And you as well, Scott."

"Henry," Scott nodded respectfully as they stepped past him.

"Emma!" Charles greeted as he and Cyclops entered the Academy Headmistress's office. "It's been far too long. You will, of course, forgive me if I don't get up." He smiled wryly as he delivered the familiar joke.

"Charles," Emma greeted respectfully, but coolly. "Scott. It's been too long since we've had the pleasure. Can I offer you both something to drink?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Scott answered, taking a seat.

"Earl Grey, if it isn't too much trouble," Xavier answered gratefully.

"I was so sorry to hear about your loss," Frost continued, though her voice still betrayed no trace of any such emotion. "If there's _anything_ I can do…" though her words seemed directed at both men, her gaze lingered on Scott.

Charles nodded in thanks to Frost's assistant as he handed him his tea, and to Emma said, "I appreciate the sentiments, but as you know, we have much to discuss."

"Of course," Frost agreed.

"I wondered if you had given any further thought to the Mutant Rights Rally."

"A worthy goal, to be sure. But the Academy's focus is primarily academic. I fear dragging my students into… _political_ entanglements" – she practically spat the word "political" – "would bring us unwanted exposure. So many of my students do so value their…" she smiled icily at Scott for no apparent reason, "privacy."

Scott shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but if Xavier noticed the exchange he gave no indication. "As a fellow educator, I can understand your reluctance. Nevertheless, I urge you to reconsider. The media exposure you fear is the strongest weapon in the fight for public opinion."

"_Weapon_?" Frost repeated, apparently offended by the idea. "_Fight_? No, that simply won't do." She shook her head. "I'm disappointed, Charles. I thought you were a man of peace."

"Surely you recognize the need to _enforce_ peace at times," Xavier countered. "Peace is not merely the absence of violence; it requires the presence of justice."

"I admire your faith, Charles, I truly do. And I wish you luck in your quest, but I regret the truth is I consider it a fool's errand. My students and I have found all the peace we need here. The only true peace mutants can find is away from humans."

Xavier sighed, obviously disappointed. "I really had hoped you would be more agreeable when we spoke of this in person, Emma. But it sounds as though you've already made up your mind."

She smiled coldly. "Sorry to disappoint you, Charles. It really has been a pleasure to see you again."

"Well. I wouldn't want to take up any more of your valuable time for what is clearly a fruitless venture. Goodbye, Emma."

"Charles." Emma smiled icily at Scott, and he shivered.


	2. History Lessons

**_History Lessons_**

"We're really just supposed to go back to history class?"

Rogue glanced up from her math homework. "Geometry today, actually," she answered mildly.

The boy rolled his eyes as he half-fell into the seat across from her. "You know what I mean, Rogue. After everything we went through, we're just supposed to pretend it never happened and go back to school?"

"I think you'll find no one is asking us to pretend it didn't happen, Bobby," Rogue answered, closing the book to give her boyfriend her full attention. "But it's not like there's a lot of choice. This _is_ a school. Pretty much all there are is students and teachers. Do you feel like a teacher?"

"No," Bobby admitted, shifting restlessly in his seat. "I just… I wish we could _do_ something. Magneto's still out there somewhere—"

"You mean _John_ is still out there somewhere," Rogue suggested, and from the way Bobby avoided her eyes she knew she was right. "He made his choice, and we made ours. I think we know who made the right one."

"He's still my friend," Bobby said quietly.

"Is he?"

Bobby sighed. "I don't want to hurt him, but… I do want to do something. Anything. I just feel so… useless, just sitting here."

"I know," Rogue agreed sympathetically. "But until we find out what Magneto's planning, there isn't much we can do to help; whether we'll be allowed to or not."

And now they shared a moment of solidarity, because they were very much in agreement that they _must_ be allowed to help.

Across the room, a television blared: "The White House will not have a representative at the upcoming Mutant Rights Summit, according to an official statement released today. Speculation has been rampant since last month's 'incident,' and the President's enigmatic speech promising change is coming. Meanwhile, the capitol police have asked for federal assistance in investigating the disappearance of Senator Kelly—"

"How can you stand to watch that garbage?" Wolverine demanded as he entered the common room.

Nightcrawler smiled good naturedly at the somewhat intimidating man. "For most of my life I've known so little of vhat happens in the larger world. I have a lot of catching up to do."

"Well you're not going to learn anything but Human Propaganda 101 watching that," Wolverine said in parting, passing by the sitting area before he stopped in front of Rogue and Bobby's table. He nodded simply to Bobby, and said, "Hey, kid," to Rogue.

"Hey yourself," Rogue answered. "What are you up to?"

"Whole lot of nothing," Logan answered. "That's the problem."

"Trust me," Bobby interjected, "we know how you feel."

"Kid, you're one of the few who might."

There was a sudden _whoosh_ sound, and Nightcrawler was no longer on the couch, but across the room at the window. "Someone is coming," he announced cheerfully, and disappeared again.

"He sure has been perky lately," Wolverine commented.

"Yeah," Rogue agreed. "It's—"

"Annoying as hell," Wolverine finished for her. "Especially before noon."

Nightcrawler reappeared moments later with a huge grin. "Professor Xavier and Cyclops have returned!"

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"Professor! Scott! Welcome back."

Both men smiled warmly. "Ororo," Xavier greeted. "I trust everything has gone smoothly in our absence?"

"For the most part," Storm answered. "Everyone's safe and accounted for, at any rate."

"Perhaps the most we can ask for in these troubling times," Xavier commented gravely.

"How vas Massachusetts?" Kurt asked, literally appearing from thin air to join the impromptu gathering.

"Educational," Scott answered stiffly.

"And Miss Frost?" Storm added.

Scott sighed. "If she really wants people to believe she's a pacifist, she should probably try being a bit nicer. It doesn't take a psychic to tell she's hiding something."

"Does that mean—?" Storm started to ask.

"No," Xavier stated firmly. "That would have been a serious breech of privacy. And Emma is a formidable psychic in her own right. I would not have been able to do so without a considerable effort, which would have been unlikely to have gone unnoticed."

"We don't need to read her mind," Scott insisted. "She's hiding something. And whatever it is, it's something big."

"Emma is a close and trusted friend, Scott. Even if this were an appropriate topic of conversation, we have more pressing concerns. The search for Magneto and final preparations for the Summit must be our priority."

With that, Xavier entered the Mansion, leaving three of his four remaining senior X-Men outside.

Storm smiled wryly at her old friend. "You seem very suspicious of Emma's motives. Are you sure you're not influenced by… personal matters?"

"Vhat does _that_ mean?" Kurt asked. bewildered.

"She's asking if I'm jealous because the Professor picked Emma over me as the X-Men's first field leader," Scott explained. "I got over that a long time ago, Storm. Besides, it's obvious she and the professor no longer see eye-to-eye."

"Fair enough," Storm conceded, though she did not appear entirely convinced.

Aparently satisfied, Nightcrawler bowed and simply disappeared into thin air. The sound of his cheerful laughter faded in his wake.

"He sure does have an air for the theateric," Scott noted.

Storm smiled fondly. "Yes. He's really starting to fit in around here. It's been very encouraging." She paused. "But you know I can't let you off the hook about Emma so easily, Scott. Professor Xavier picking her over you isn't the _only_ reason you might have… confusing feelings about her."

"Enough history lessons. We've both moved on since then. And I think I'm much less hung up on being the Professor's second choice than she was about being mine."

Storm sounded almost mischievous as she pressed, "But she's a _close_ and _trusted_ friend, Scott."

Cyclops simply shook his head in disgust as they proceeded into the Mansion.


	3. Teamwork

Author's Note: While Bryan Singer was directing, the X-Men films pretty consistently followed the storyling of the "Ultimate X-Men" line of comics over the original line of X-Men comics. One of the many small changes made in this line of comics was that the character of Colossus was an openly gay character. Since Bryan Singer's films followed the Ultimate version wherever it seriously differed from the original line, I will follow that tradition.

_**Teamwork**_

Peter Rasputin, aka Colussus, did not look like someone who had much to worry about. Only his closest friends knew that behind the seemingly invincible exterior was a somewhat nervous boy.

Peter regularly spoke with Professor Xavier outside of class, so the professor not overly surprised when the young man tentatively entered the Cerebro chamber.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Professor," Peter began from the doorway. "I heard you were back and I wanted to speak with you about something. If this is a bad time—"

"Not at all," Xavier assured him. "Please, come in."

Peter entered, and the large doors closed behind him. When he stood beside Xavier, the room suddenly changed dramatically from the featureless metallic blocks into vibrant patterns of colors so complex Peter couldn't easily absorb everything he was seeing.

"Wow," Peter exclaimed in a hushed voice as he gradually realized what he was seeing. "You can really see the whole world at once with this thing?"

"Yes. But not in any meaningful or helpful fashion. I can only pinpoint particular mutants – or humans – with a great deal of concentration. And the one person I need to find – Magneto – is impossible to find because of a specially designed helmet."

"Couldn't you try finding one of his followers?" Peter asked.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Piotr, but I assure you that had already occurred to me," Xavier answered sedately. "Now, what can I do for you?"

Peter shifted nervously before answering, "Well. It's kind of a big deal, but it's kind of not… I just wanted to talk to you before I did it. I'm thinking about telling everyone. About… you know."

Xavier smiled warmly. "Piotr, I'm very proud of you. I have no doubt you'll find most of your classmates very supportive, but that doesn't make it any less courageous. If you have _any _problems I expect you to come to me immediately."

"Thank you, Professor."

The dizzying display of colors suddenly shifted dramatically, and Peter heard Xavier inhale sharply.

"Professor? Is everything—?"

"Go find Scott or Ororo," Xavier instructed. "Tell them to gather the others at once."

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The four senior X-Men – Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, and even Wolverine – gathered in Xavier's office. "Thank you all for coming. As you know, I have been using Cerebro to try to locate Magneto for some time with limited success."

"Does this mean you finally found him?" Scott asked, clearly excited.

"Unfortunately, no," Xavier answered. "But I have reason to believe we might be getting close. I discovered a disturbing amount of mutant activity… at Alkali Lake."

The X-Men sat in stunned silence.

"I was unable to determine the exact nature of the activity. Something is… interfering with my scan. Which could very well mean Magneto is behind this, as he is the only mutant I've ever encountered that has the means to block Cerebro."

Scott was already on his feet. "We'll leave right away! Storm, prep the jet. Nightcrawler, Wolverine—"

"Actually, Scott… in light of our recent encounter with Mr. Striker, I wondered if it might be prudent for one of you to remain behind at the Mansion. To ensure the security of the students."

Scott looked as though he were about to agree, but his expression suddenly darkened. "Professor… I know what you're thinking, and I promise I'll be fine. If we can learn anything about Magneto's whereabouts and plans, it's absolutely essential that we follow up on it. You need me on this one."

Xavier seemed reluctant, but conceded, "You're right, of course. I'm certain I don't need to remind you all to exercise the utmost discretion. If Magneto is there, do not under any circumstances confront him alone."

Logan grunted rebelliously, but Scott promised, "Of course, Professor."

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"Maybe the Professor is right, Scott," Storm suggested as she finished the pre-flight sequence. "Even if it weren't Alkali Lake, you just got back from Massachusetts. A little rest wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

"No matter how uncomfortable, I'd hardly consider our conversation with Emma a combat situation, Storm."

Storm raised an eyebrow as if to ask, _Oh, really?_

Scott shook his head. "Give it a rest, Storm," he asked quietly, so the others at the rear of the cabin wouldn't hear.

Storm nodded reluctantly, and any further conversation was cut off when Wolverine dropped into one of the passenger seats behind them. Nightcrawler followed shortly afterwards, teleporting over the short distance as had been his habit lately.

"Not to pry, but doesn't using your power so much make you tired?" Storm asked.

"Ordinarily, yes," Kurt confirmed. "But I've had so much energy lately!"

"Well, keep in mind we might be going into a combat situation," Scott pointed out.

"Of course," Nightcrawler agreed.

"Storm?"

"All systems go."

"Let's get airborne."

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When Peter entered the common room, he was relieved to find it occupied only by his closest friends Bobby, Rogue, and Kitty.

"Hey Peter!" Kitty greeted pleasantly. Bobby and Rogue were too busy oogling at each other to take as much notice of his entrance.

The windows rattled briefly, and everyone but Peter looked up to see the X-Jet launching from under the basketball court.

Rogue practically ran to the window, and Bobby was right behind her. "Where are _they_ going?" Rogue demanded outloud.

"I think the Professor found something on Cerebro," Peter offered with a shrug.

"Oh _come on_!" Bobby exclaimed. "They can't keep leaving us out of the loop like this. They gave us uniforms and everything after Alkali Lake."

"Just a few more weeks of combat training, then we can join them for real," Rogue soothed.

"At least you two are _that_ close to being on the team," Kitty pointed out. "Who knows when we'll be allowed to go with them. Right, Pete?"

"Hmm?" Peter answered, distractedly. "Oh. Right. Yeah."

"Is everything okay, Peter?" Kitty asked as Rogue and Bobby returned to their seats on the couch.

"Yeah," Peter assured them as he took a seat nearby. "It's just… there's something I kind of want to talk to you about."

"Sure," Kitty said as she turned off the TV, and Rogue and Bobby actually looked up from each other to give him their attention.

Peter took a deep breath to steady himself. "It isn't really a big deal or anything, but… we've been friends for a while, and I feel like there's something I need you guys to know."

Peter hesitated, and Bobby characteristically broke in with a joke to lighten the mood. "Oh God. Peter… you don't think you're_ a mutant_, do you?"

That actually brought a smile to Peter's face, and gave him the courage to blurt out, "Actually, they're not sure if it's genetic yet, but… I'm gay."

_Oh God. I said it. I can't take it back. I said it._

Peter abruptly realized he was staring at the floor instead of looking at his friends' reactions. He almost couldn't bring himself to look up. When he did, he was relieved – and surprised – to see calm, almost amused smiles rather than the looks of shock he had expected.

"Thank _God_," Rogue said simply, flopping back on the couch in apparent relief.

Peter blinked in surprise. "Wait. _What_? I was hoping you guys would be okay with this, but—"

"Peter, we've been wondering when you'd finally tell us," Kitty said, rolling her eyes. "It was really hard pretending not to know."

"You… you _knew_?"

"Think about it," Bobby reasoned calmly. "All of us were mutants growing up among humans. We're used to being 'different.' I even had to 'come out' to my family as a mutant right before Alkali Lake… who better to recognize someone going through the exact same thing for different reasons?"

"Oh! I guess that makes sense." Peter smiled. "So… you're really okay with this?"

Kitty reached across the table and squeezed his hand encouragingly. "I'm just glad you finally trusted us. I know that couldn't have been easy."

Peter sighed with relief. This wasn't what he had expected at all.


	4. First Blood

_**First Blood**_

Alkali Lake was completely obscured by a blizzard as Scott began his descent. "Storm, can you do something about that?" he asked.

Storm's eyes went white, and the conditions outside did just the opposite. Visibility improved dramatically. It was a calculated risk, of course, because if any of Magneto's people on the ground were near the landing site they would notice the sudden shift in atmospheric conditions.

Scott skillfully brought the jet down for a soft landing, and everyone began unstrapping their crash restraints.

"Maybe we should've brought Bobby," Storm commented as she allowed the natural weather to take back over, and wind and snow hammered the jet.

Cyclops smiled in amusement, and Wolverine chuckled.

"Let's spread out," Cyclops ordered as they exited the jet. "Storm, fly overhead and see if you can see anything from the air without being spotted. Nightcrawler, Wolverine, stay close but not too close. We want the widest search pattern possible. Stay in radio contact. Do _not_ engage without calling for support." Cyclops looked significantly at Wolverine as he gave that last order.

Storm couldn't clear much of the blizzard without arousing suspicion, but she did her best to lower the intensity of the wind to a reasonable degree. The four X-Men headed in the general direction of the abandoned, flooded base.

The lake was frozen over. Of course, there hadn't been much of a lake on this side of the dam a few weeks ago. Even as she struggled in her own way with the death of her best friend, Storm had been trying to keep an eye on Scott and Logan, both of whom had been emotionally distraught ever since that tragic day.

Logan had grown even more impulsive and aggressive ever since Jean's death. Storm tried to help, but she didn't know how to break through the shell he had built around himself.

Scott she had known longer, and had a better idea what was going on in his head. Though he had initially been very emotional, recently he had begun to draw within himself and bury himself in his duties as the X-Men's field leader. The healing process would take its toll on him, but he would struggle with it in private. He wouldn't let it affect the team.

Of course, that didn't make it any easier to watch him go through it.

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Even with Storm's efforts to lessen its intensity, the heavy wind and snow was beginning to make Cyclops's face go numb. It was just as well; it made his features more closely resemble his emotions.

Scott was not the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. The pain of grief was a constant companion these days, but it wasn't something he needed to constantly address. He recognized the reality of the pain, worked around it, and was already beginning to accept it as a fact of life. He would probably grieve for Jean in some fashion for the rest of his life, but from any outside observer it would seem that he was bouncing back remarkably quickly.

As Scott reached the top of the hill he caught a flash of movement. He paused, staring through the blowing snow. It was difficult to make out any details, but there was definitely something moving towards him.

"Storm," Cyclops whispered barely loud enough for his earpiece to pick it up, "I think I see something, can you give me more visibility?"

No response.

"Storm?"

Cyclops cursed under his breath. He had been afraid of this; the cold weather was obviously too much for the electronic devices to handle.

The vague movement Cyclops had noticed was gradually becoming more recognizable as a running figure.

Running towards him.

The path was too direct for Cyclops to even bother hoping he hadn't been noticed. He sighed warily, recalling his own now impossible orders not to engage without backup. _Wolverine is going to get a laugh out of this._

"Whoever you are, keep your hands where I can see them and approach at a slower pace or I'll have to assume you're hostile," Scott shouted over the wind.

The man – Cyclops was now fairly certain it was a man – sped up.

Cyclops lined up a shot and fired quickly, but the running man deftly dodged to the side as snow kicked up the ground where the shot hit. He fired again, and this time the mysterious assailant had to tumble through the air to avoid it. That proved to be his undoing as Cyclops fired again, hitting him full in the chest.

Impossibly, the man merely stumbled backwards and resumed running full speed.

"What the hell?" Cyclops demanded aloud, a second before he had to block a swift kick to his chest. He caught the man's leg and tossed him sideways. In a flash he saw the familiar face.

"_Alex_?" he gasped.

"Hello, Scott," Cyclops's brother greeted with mock pleasantness, a second before taking a swing at his face.

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A sudden flash of light caught Storm's eye. _Lightning?_ Storm wondered, but was skeptical as she hadn't sensed any such potential in the snowstorm.

Her suspicions were confirmed by the second flash of light. While lightning in a snowstorm was not unheard of, _red_ lightning was a phenomenon with which Storm was unfamiliar.

Storm began to turn towards the source of the energy blast. She was about to call Scott on the comm when a sudden impact almost knocked her out of the sky.

As she spun around and desperately oriented the wind to keep her in the air, Storm caught sight of giant white wings. At first she wondered if she was the victim of the largest bird to ever attack a human, but then she realized the wings belonged to a _man_.

Storm heard a voice in her earpiece, but whoever it was spoke too quietly for her to hear, and she was a bit preoccupied at the moment.

"Whoever you are, stand down!" Storm shouted over the wind. "I am _not_ going to warn you again."

Instead of responding, the man swooped toward her again. Storm cursed, realizing he was too close to risk a lightning bolt. She tried to knock him off course with a sudden burst of wind, but he expertly rode the gust and swept his legs forward to kick her in the chest.

Storm cried out as she lost control of her flight yet again, and this time she didn't think she had time to reorient herself as the ground came rushing up at her.

Storm heard a sudden _whoosh_ and felt strong arms wrap around her. Another _whoosh_, and after the blue smoke cleared she found herself safely on the ground.

"Thanks, Kurt," Storm said gratefully.

"It vas my pleasure," Nightcrawler answered cheerfully. He disappeared again, and reappeared in the air close to the winged attacker. Storm had trouble following the dizzying battle between the disappearing and reappearing Nightcrawler and the flying man, but before she could get herself close enough to help, the unknown assailant banked hard and flew away.

"Now _angels_ are trying to kill us," Storm pointed out as she and Nightcrawler both returned to the ground. "Maybe God really _does_ hate us like those pro-human groups say."

"God does not hate anyone, Ororo," Kurt answered seriously. "Not even the poor soul who tried to kill you, who I assure you is no angel. And who vill likely be coming back this vay vith backup. Ve need to get out of here."

"Hold on a second," Storm answered, suddenly remembering the comm static a moment ago. "Scott? Logan? Did one of you call for me?"

"Wasn't me, darlin'," Wolverine's voice answered. "I've got a whole lot of nothing going on here. How about you? Any luck?"

Storm and Nightcrawler exchanged glances. "You could say that," Storm answered ruefully. "We'll check back with you soon, Logan. What about you, Scott?"

No answer.

Storm frowned in concern. "Scott, do you copy?"

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Cyclops blocked the punch sideways, spun, and drove his elbow into his brother's chest. Alex gasped in surprise, but recovered quickly enough to shove Cyclops down into the snow. He quickly jumped onto his back and tried to hold him down, intending to suffocate him.

"That's enough, Havok!"

With obvious reluctance, Havok backed away from his brother, allowing him to uneasily make his way to his feet. Cyclops, for his part, was shocked to see the woman approaching him.

"Emma?" Scott demanded. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

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The snow didn't really bother Logan. Whether that was a byproduct of his healing factor, or simply the result of spending so much of his life in northern Canada, he didn't know, and didn't care.

The wind, which was likely giving the other X-Men fits, was actually very helpful to Wolverine because it carried scents over long distances. Right now, he was trying to follow Cyclops's scent. The guy might be a total prick, but he was still a teammate, and it sounded like he might be in trouble. But every time Logan thought he had picked up the trail, an animal-like scent kept interfering.

Wolverine stopped dead in his tracks when the animal-like scent became so strong he realized it must be right on top of him. Wolverine quickly deployed his claws and whirled around, just in time to see a blur of blue flying towards him.

"What the—?"

The blur turned out to be a man-shaped being covered in blue fur, who landed on his feet in front of Wolverine. "Please retract the claws, my boy. I mean you no harm."

Wolverine sniffed contemptuously. "Whatever you say, furball."

Without any other warning, Wolverine lunged at him, claws-first. The animal-like man proved surprisingly nimble for his size, and he flipped away from Wolverine's claws with ease, caught both his arms between his legs, and flipped him over his head.

Wolverine went tumbling uncontrollably through the air, landing face-first in the snow.

"I really must insist that you cease this aggressive behavior at once."

Wolverine lunged at him from the snow, and once again Beast deftly dodged. Wolverine kept swinging, and Beast somersaulted backwards, stopped, and flipped forward to deliver a quick kick to Wolverine's midsection.

Wolverine grunted in surprise, swung again for the blue creature's midsection, but missed again.

"You're _really_ starting to piss me off, bub," Wolverine warned him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I could ask you the same thing, Scott," Emma replied icily. "Attacking my students? Surely this is not the way Charles Xavier's X-Men behave."

Cyclops was irate, but kept his anger in check. "Emma, order your 'students' to stand down, and I'll order my people to stand down as well. And then we can have a nice long chat about this."

Frost closed her eyes, and Cyclops knew she was communicating with her students telepathically. Of course, Scott lacked that ability, so he called over the comm, "X-Men, stand down. Storm, clear the weather so you can see me. Everyone, form up here. Emma is going to order her people to stand down as well."

"I hope you have a _really_ good story to tell me," Scott warned.

Emma slithered toward him. "You always did like my stories… didn't you, Scott?"

Scott felt strangely drawn to Emma, but he forced himself to maintain his distance. "I'm sorry," he answered firmly. "I preferred someone I could trust."

Emma was standing uncomfortably close, but Scott didn't feel like moving away. "You can trust me, Scott," she whispered.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?"

Scott turned to find the three other X-Men gaping at him. Wolverine, who had asked the question, stood at the forefront. Storm looked like she might fall out of midair with surprise; only Nightcrawler seemed unaffected by the scene.

Cyclops awkwardly stepped away from Emma, and joined his gathered team. As he did so, he noticed the blue figure walking towards Emma and Alex. "_Hank_?"

"Hello, Scott," Henry greeted, a trace of his characteristic cheerfulness emerging despite the circumstances.

"As the presence of your friend should assure you," Emma continued, "this is a perfectly legitimate research trip."

"Actually," Henry interjected, "not to undermine your position, Headmistress, but the exact nature of your research remains a mystery to me."

Emma glared icily at her student, but turned back to Scott. As she did so, Scott was surprised to see a man with wings suddenly land at her side.

"That's the guy who attacked me," Storm exclaimed.

"Perhaps we would benefit from some introductions here," Emma suggested mildly. "Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, Logan, aka Wolverine, and Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler; meet Alex Summers, aka Havok," Wolverine and Kurt both glanced at Scott in surprise upon hearing the name of Scott's brother.

"Friend of yours?" Wolverine asked.

"He's my brother," Scott answered simply, "and definitely _not_ a friend."

"Henry McCoy, aka Beast," Emma continued as though the interruption had not occurred, "and Waren Worthington, aka Angel."

"Well," Scott resumed, "now that we've all been properly introduced, perhaps you could answer my – and Henry's, apparently – question instead of continuing to stall."

"There's no need to be rude, Scott."

"Don't manipulate me, Emma."

"Do you two need a moment alone?" Logan snapped.

Cyclops glared at his teammate, but turned back to Emma. "Why didn't you contact Professor Xavier before you came here? You obviously knew this looked suspicious. You brought bodyguards," he nodded at the three students gathered around her, "and you went to the trouble of blocking Cerebro—"

"_I_ didn't block Cerebro, Scott," Emma corrected.

"Oh, really?" Scott countered skeptically.

"Scott… "I'm sorry to seem insensitive, but this place is full of the most incredible psychic power I've ever seen. It's not surprising that Charles's device didn't work the way it's supposed to."

"Psychic power," Scott repeated.

"Yes," Emma confirmed. "I had to come here to study it… maybe even gain strength from it."

In a flash of anger and indignation, Cyclops took a swing at Frost. "That's _Jean_ you're talking about!"

Logan and Storm both grabbed Scott and dragged him backwards, and Emma appeared flustered by the sudden outburst, but she smiled triumphantly at Scott when no one else was looking.

"Alright, let's calm down here," Logan insisted as he and Storm released Scott but stayed between him and Emma.

"I believe you have the explanation you came for," Emma concluded icily. "Now, if you're _quite_ finished attacking me and my students without provocation, I suggest you leave while I am still willing to let you do so."

"I don't respond well to threats, Emma," Scott warned.

"Based on today's encounter, I don't think you respond well to _anything_, Scott," Emma answered scornfully. "Pull yourself together, for God's sake."

Scott glared menacingly at Emma, but turned and led his team back to the jet.


	5. Friends and Enemies

_**Friends and Enemies**_

Professor Xavier had listened to Scott's report with an increasing amount of dismay, and eventually Scott thought he saw a hint of real anger on his face for the first time he could remember.

"I see," Xavier said simply after the report had been completed.

"Professor," Scott began, "she was _obviously_—"

"The only thing that is obvious _here_, Scott, is that I grossly misjudged your ability to maintain your duties in spite of your personal conflicts. Effectively immediately, I am relieving you of your duties as field leader. Storm will fill in for you until you're fit for duty."

"No!" Scott protested. "Professor, she was _obviously_ manipulating me!"

"Even if that were the case, the ease with which it was accomplished makes you a liability. In either case, I cannot allow the X-Men to be led by someone subject to emotional outbursts of that nature."

Scott clenched and unclenched his fists. "Professor, this is a huge mistake. We're already down to four X-Men with…" Scott still couldn't quite bring himself to say it, "with everything that's happened," he finished instead. "There's no way they can operate with three; especially when one of those three barely considers himself part of the team."

"You're quite right on that account, I'm afraid," Xavier conceded. "Which is why I've decided to offer Rogue and Robert Drake combat status, effective immediately."

Scott almost fell out of his chair. "Professor! You can't put a new leader _and_ new members—"

"Storm is hardly a 'new' leader, Scott; she's been your second in command since the beginning."

Fighting a growing sense of frustration, Scott rose. "I can see you've already made up your mind about this. I will respect your decision, even if I think you're making a huge mistake."

"Scott, I don't want you to consider this a punishment," Xavier continued. "You know I only want what's best for you. Please take this opportunity to allow yourself to come to terms with your grief. Do whatever is necessary, and come back to me when you feel you are ready to resume your duties."

"I'm ready to do so _now_, Professor."

"That is a decision we will make together when the time comes, Scott. Please. Take care of yourself."

xxx

To make matters worse, Storm was waiting for Scott when he walked out of the professor's office.

"How'd it go?" she asked hopefully.

Scott shook his head and walked past her. "You're going to have to mind the shop for a few days," he told her as she fell into step next to him.

"He's _benching_ you?" Storm asked, incredulous.

"I thought you agreed with him," Scott pointed out. "You were pretty gung ho about leaving me behind on this mission."

"Because it was Alkali— because it was _that place_, Scott. But we can't operate without our leader."

"You _have_ a leader. And you're going to have plenty of help. The Professor is giving Rogue and Bobby an early graduation."

"He wants _me_ to lead those two on their first combat missions?"

Cyclops smiled. "It'll hardly be their first combat, Storm, even if it's their first as part of the team. And you've been helping train them all along. You'll be fine."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but—"

"I took a swing at Emma Frost, Storm."

Storm sighed. "What will you do?"

"I don't know," Scott admitted. "The Professor told me to take some time… I guess I'll get away for a while. Maybe take a trip across country." He shrugged. "It's been a while since I had to find ways to occupy my time."

"Yeah." Storm stepped forward and hugged him. "Take care of yourself, Scott."

"Don't go getting all teary-eyed," Scott chided. "I'll be back soon."

xxx

Xavier looked up from the book he was reading as his videophone buzzed with an incoming call. The caller id did not recognize the number, but that didn't mean much. Very few people had access to Xavier's personal number, and most of those were very high up in the mutant community or federal government.

To Xavier's shock, the face of his oldest friend – and enemy – appeared on the display.

"Erik! Have you called to turn yourself in?"

Magneto's characteristic smirk was his only answer to Xavier's query. "Hello, Charles. I trust I don't have to warn you not to bother tracing this call."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, old friend. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Emma Frost, Charles."

"She seems to be a popular topic these days," Xavier sighed.

"She has her, Charles."

Xavier frowned at that enigmatic statement. "Has _whom_, Erik?"

Magneto sighed. "Don't play coy, Charles. Who do you _think_?"

"No. No, that's impossible."

"_Nothing_ is impossible, Charles; merely highly improbable. In this case, highly improbable has virtually no meaning, as you well know."

"Even if this were true, why tell me? You're certainly formidable enough to take on Emma Frost's Academy for Gifted Individuals."

"Because I don't care," Magneto answered bluntly. "The only reason I tell you is that this will keep you occupied… and out of my way."

"Equally true whether you're telling the truth or not," Xavier noted. "If you think I'm not going to help bring you to justice, you're a fool, Erik. I cannot simply allow you to get away with trying to wipe out every non-mutant on the planet."

"I'm not asking you to allow me to get away with anything, Charles. I'm merely telling you what I've discovered, and hoping you will find it more important than seeking a confrontation with me that will do more harm than good to mutantkind."

"Even if I had _any_ reason to believe what you're telling me, how could you possibly know this?"

Magneto smiled. And suddenly the view zoomed out to show him sitting next to— Emma Frost?

But "Emma's" eyes turned yellow, and her form gradually shifted and became blue. _Mystique._

"Really, Charles. With the resources at my disposal, you think there's _anything_ I can't find out?"

"You've made your point," Xavier conceded. "But I still have no reason to believe what you're telling me. Emma is a former student and a friend."

"You can't trust her, Charles," Magneto insisted.

"I can't trust _you_, Erik," Xavier parried.

"I wonder, then, what was she doing at Alkali Lake?"

Xavier felt the first seeds of doubt enter his mind at that moment, but quickly recovered. "I will consider what you have said, Erik. But Emma has shown no indication of deception."

"Yes. _Remarkable_ that a woman who can effortlessly control men's emotions has shown no outward signs of duplicity." Magneto smiled sadly. "You above all people should know what she's capable of. But I don't have the resources to stop her _and_ protect our brothers from the silent war."

"A war being perpetuated entirely by your acts of aggression."

Magneto sighed. "I can only hope you will live long enough to regret not listening to me, Charles."


	6. Ground Support

_**Ground Support**_

"Rogue, duck!"

Rogue heeded Bobby's warning just in time for the bullets to fly harmlessly over her head. A blast of ice flew over her head in the opposite direction, slamming the armored assailant into the wall with sufficient force to knock him out.

Rogue smiled as her boyfriend helped her up. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Bobby answered with a huge grin.

"BOBBY!"

Bobby turned around just in time to see another gunman taking aim. He cursed under his breath and fired an ice blast—or tried to, at least. Bobby frowned, staring at his own hands in confusion, and realized there was absolutely no cover he or Rogue could reach before the gunman fired.

"And you're dead," Storm announced calmly.

Fortunately the bullets were only holographic, and the simulation simply ended when they made contact with Rogue and Bobby's sensor suits.

Bobby kicked at the floor in frustration, and Rogue rolled her eyes.

"We completed all the objectives," Bobby complained. "The conditions for victory were met."

Storm sounded a bit too amused as she answered, "I see. Perhaps you forgot to mention that to the terrorists before they shot you?"

"We screwed up," Rogue admitted. "But you have to admit, we did pretty good."

"Yes," Storm mock-agreed, "you performed admirably right up until the point where you got shot."

Bobby sighed. "We'll do better next time."

"Good!" Storm exclaimed cheerfully. "Because next time starts… right now."

xxx

Bobby collapsed against the wall next to the danger room door, breathing rapidly and wiping sweat from his forehead; he hated sweating. Thanks to his powers he almost never perspired, but right now he was so exhausted he couldn't suppress it like he usually did.

He felt _hot_. He hated feeling hot.

"What was that back there?" Rogue asked as she entered the hallway behind him.

Bobby looked up at his girlfriend. "You mean aside from brutal and unnecessary?"

Rogue frowned at his negativity, and then said, "You know what I mean, Bobby. What happened the first time? Why couldn't you just use your powers to freeze that guy?"

"I'm not sure," Bobby admitted.

At that moment Storm emerged from the control room, and Bobby groaned with the effort of rising to his feet next to Rogue.

"That was much better," Storm commended.

"It _felt_ a lot worse," Bobby complained.

Storm crossed her arms. "I would have thought being alive would feel _much_ better than being dead, Mr. Drake. But if you'd prefer to run the simulation again to achieve your preferred state—?"

"No, ma'am!" Bobby answered quickly.

"Good," Storm said with an approving nod.

"Where's Cyclops?" Bobby asked, suddenly noticing the absence. "Isn't he usually here for the de-briefs?"

"Scott…" Storm hesitated, "is taking some time off. I'll be taking his place as team leader temporarily. If he were here, though, I'm sure he would agree with me that your second simulation was superb. Good communication, good teamwork, and excellent use of your powers."

"Yeah, about the teamwork," Rogue interjected. "Not to be ungrateful for the extra practice time, but… why us and not the rest of the class? And why were you so hard on us? Do you know something you're not telling us?"

"That wasn't just any extra training, Rogue," Storm answered. "The Professor has decided to grant both of you combat status. Starting tomorrow you'll be training with Logan, Kurt, and I."

Bobby's eyes lit up, and Rogue smiled. "That's great!" the excitable Bobby commented.

"Yeah," Rogue agreed cautiously. "But what about the others? Peter and Kitty have almost as much experience as we do, and even Jubilee is coming along nicely in self defense class."

"They don't have the field experience you two have," Storm explained.

"But Peter was instrumental in the evacuation of the Mansion."

Storm looked thoughtful for a moment, and then agreed, "Yes, Peter showed exceptional leadership and poise during that situation. I'll be sure to speak to the Professor about your recommendation. In the meantime, however, you should both consider yourselves full members of the X-Men team. You'll start understanding exactly how things are going to change for you starting tomorrow," Storm smiled, "but for tonight, feel free to enjoy yourselves."

Rogue actually hugged Storm in excitement, and Bobby smiled and said a simple, "Thanks."

xxx

The White House Situation Room was arguably the most secure room in the world. For most of its life it had owed this distinction to the anti-electronic surveillance measures, but today it was also one of the few rooms in the world that used the latest experimental anti-telepathy technology outside of a laboratory setting.

The room was simple enough, considering it contained everything the President of the United States needed to plan and monitor a war without leaving the room. Most of that was communications equipment – _very_ secure communications equipment. Otherwise, the most important assets were his advisors. The most prominent of those currently present was Secretary of Defense Bolivar Trask.

That distinction arguably shifted when the marine guards opened the doors to admit a dress uniformed general of the special forces. The mood in the room noticeably shifted when the distinguished-looking man with the black eye patch entered the room.

"General Fury," the President greeted warmly. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"I serve at the pleasure of the President," Fury answered calmly, taking the seat the President gestured towards.

"General Fury," Secretary Trask began, "the purpose of this briefing is informational; both for us and for you."

Fury smiled wryly. "As opposed to the other briefings where we just shoot the breeze, Mr. Secretary?"

Trask's eyes narrowed, and there was and undercurrent of tension in the room. It was well known that Trask and Fury didn't care for each other, and while most of the military personnel in the room would obviously side with Fury, they couldn't simply degenerate into an overt verbal sparring match with the President in the room.

Fortunately, the Secretary was all business. "General, we would be very interested in hearing your informed opinion of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s preparedness for cooperation with the Sentinel Program."

Fury's expression noticeably hardened, but the President raised his hand to forestall any argument on the General's part. "Your objections to the Program have been heard and noted, General. And as Secretary Trask mentioned, this briefing is purely informational."

Fury rubbed his forehead nervously. "Sir, my objections to the Program itself aside, I don't see any real tactical advantage to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents working in direct conjunction with the Sentinels. Our operational protocols are… not compatible."

Trask leaned forward dangerously. "Are you saying you would disobey a direct order from your Commander in Chief?"

"_Of course not_, Mr. Secretary," Fury answered indignantly. "I'm merely pointing out that it's difficult to assess S.H.I.E.L.D.'s readiness when I don't know what kind of operation we're talking about."

The President leaned forward. "Talk to me about ground support."

Fury nodded stiffly. "Yes, sir. But, Mr. President—I must once again record my strongest possible—"

"We've been over this before, General," Trask interrupted, sounding bored. "Public opinion will back us up on this. The public just wants us to do _something _about the mutant problem. At this point, I very much doubt they will object to anything we decide to do."

Fury was starting to get truly angry at Trask. He was dangerously close to losing his famous calm as he answered, "But this is just _wrong_! Doesn't that matter to anyone?"

"Thank you, General Fury," the President cut him off. "But let us turn to your informed opinion on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s readiness to provide armed ground support, if you please."

xxx

"Does anyone else think it's hilarious that we're having a mission briefing about _a parade_?" Wolverine asked the room as a whole.

Xavier forced a smile. "Thank you, Logan.

"All of the final details have been arranged; every mutant group we've invited except for Emma Frost's Academy of Tomorrow has agreed to attend. Media outlets have been contacted."

"So what's left for us to do, exactly?" Storm asked.

"The NYPD has warned us to expect protestors," Xavier explained. "I fully trust the official authorities to ensure the peace, but I will need all of you to be particularly vigilant. Especially considering how many of our students and other mutant civilians will be attending."

"Not to distract anyone from this very important parade," Wolverine rejoined, "but _how_ exactly is this helping us find Magneto?"

"It is helping us – all of us – by giving Mutant Rights' Issues visibility and media exposure to combat the sensationalist propaganda about us," Storm argued.

After a short pause, Wolverine concluded, "So… it's _not_, then."

Xavier ignored the interruption and continued, "Bobby, Rogue, this is going to be your first official mission with the X-Men, and I have no reason to expect it will be anything but uneventful."

"Yeah, sounds like a real snooze-fest," Wolverine agreed.

"Just remember to follow Storm and the others' lead." Xavier paused to smile warmly. "I am very proud of both of you.

"We leave for New York in two hours. Everyone please take care of any last minute preparations, and remember to tell your students that attendance is optional but highly encouraged."

"Who's staying behind to mind the shop?" Wolverine asked.

The others exchanged glances, as they suddenly realized that they had all been planning on attending.

"I'm afraid you won't be getting off that easily, Logan. Scott has graciously offered to delay his leave of absence to watch over any students who choose not to attend."

Wolverine snorted. "Babysitting? I'm not sure which one of us is getting off easy."


	7. This Very Important Parade

_**This Very Important Parade**_

It was a disaster.

The obscenely large crowd of protesters easily dwarfed the number of mutants gathered for the rally. Xavier and the other expected speakers had immediately given up any thoughts of going through with the speeches they had planned on making. Instead, they settled for simply being seen. A lot of the younger students held up signs, and a lot of the prettier ones had their pictures taken and were interviewed by whatever media members could make their way through the nearly riotous throng of anti-mutant protesters.

Storm shook her head in bewilderment. "This is insane," she said.

Wolverine grunted and started stomping off.

"Where are you going?" Storm called after him.

"To get some air," Wolverine answered evasively.

"Logan! Don't go looking for trouble."

"Wouldn't have to look far, would I?" Wolverine answered cynically nodding in the general direction of the giant mob gathered behind police barricades.

Xavier wheeled up towards Storm, a troubled expression on his face. "Ororo. Very quietly… start gathering the younger students onto the jet."

"Okay," Storm agreed immediately. "Is everything alright?"

"We've done all we can here," Xavier reasoned, but Storm was pretty sure there was something else behind the Professor's words.

xxx

Wolverine strolled casually parallel to the police line, immune to the hundreds of voices shouting profanities and threats in his general direction.

"Sir, I'm really going to have to ask you to stay away from the crowd."

Wolverine glanced up at the police officer. He didn't look hostile, but he also didn't look intimidated. He wore his long black hair in dreadlocks, and had an "M" tattooed over his right eye. "For my safety?" Wolverine asked wryly.

The other man gave him a knowing look. "For theirs."

The amused smile faded from Wolverine's face when a man-shaped robot almost the size of the surrounding skyscrapers landed a short distance away from them.

The cop looked just as shocked as Wolverine. "What the—?"

"MUTANT DNA DETECTED," announced a booming voice, and the robot fired a blast of deadly energy from its hand.

Wolverine was ready to spring out of the way, but was shocked to realize the blast was aimed not at him, but the police officer.

Rather than jumping out of the way, the other man raised his hands in what Wolverine assumed was a futile effort to protect himself, but instead the energy seemed to absorb into his hands, and seconds later he fired back at the giant robot, destroying it in a massive explosion, throwing everyone nearby except the cop off their feet.

"That's a neat trick you've got there," Wolverine noted approvingly as the smoke cleared. "You got a name?"

"Name's Lucas," the other man answered as he offered Wolverine his hand and helped him up. "But everyone calls me Bishop."

A few other cops were staring openly at him. "Bish', what the hell?" one of them gasped.

"You know how you guys are always asking me what that _M_ on my forehead stands for? It's _mutant_."

xxx

Two more sentinels landed amidst the few mutants still remaining at the site of the rally.

"MUTANT DNA DETECTED."

"My God," Professor Xavier whispered breathlessly as the sentinels began firing into the crowd, killing innocent mutants.

"Kurt!" Storm shouted as she dodged energy blasts and her hands glowed with electric energy. "Get the Professor out of here!"

Nightcrawler grabbed Xavier and disappeared. A split second later Xavier's wheelchair was hit by an energy blast and vaporized.

"Rogue, Bobby, get everyone you can onto the jet!" Storm shouted above the chaos as she started firing powerful blasts of lightning at the robots.

The lightning bolts bounced off the sentinels' armor ineffectively, and they continued to march forward, undaunted. Nightcrawler appeared back at Storm's side.

Storm managed to maintain her poise despite the situation. "Kurt, we need to buy them some time. I'll fly, you teleport. Try to draw their fire."

Nightcrawler nodded in acknowledgement. Storm was about to take off, but Kurt put his hand on her shoulder lightly. "May God protect you, Ororo," he said with quiet determination, then disappeared.

Then Storm was in the air, firing useless blasts of electricity at the sentinels to distract them. She was vaguely aware of Bobby shooting ice blasts at them as he and Rogue shepherded students and other civilians towards the jet, and Kurt appearing and disappearing erratically around the sentinels, trying to draw their attention like Storm.

"Storm," Bobby called over the comm, sounding frightened. "We got everyone we could onto the jet. Get out of there!"

Storm tried very hard not to look at the bodies on the ground as she began flying back towards the jet. "Where's Logan?" she shouted into her microphone.

"I'm on my way, darlin'," Wolverine answered over the comm. "I've got a cop with me; friendly. He'll be hitching a ride with us."

"Alright, that's everyone, then," Storm said. "Let's get out of here!"

In the confusion of battle, a Sentinel fired at Storm while her back was turned. There was no time to warn her, nothing to be done.

The sudden _whoosh_ of teleportation made Storm whirl around just in time to see Nightcrawler's eyes widen in pain. The smoke from his teleportation had barely cleared, but he was solid enough to take the deadly energy in her stead.

The last thing Kurt Wagner saw on this earth was the horrified eyes of the first person who had ever shown him any kindness, the woman he had never been able to tell he loved. He was dead before his body hit the ground.

"_Kurt_!"

Everything stopped. Storm didn't even notice she was falling, having lost control of her flight, until she was caught by a running Wolverine. He didn't set her down until they reached the jet.

xxx

Wolverine gently set Storm down in one of the passenger seats and strapped her in. She started to say something, but he gently placed a finger on her lips before moving to the front of the cockpit. "Anyone here know how to fly?" he asked.

Bishop stepped forward.

"Good," Wolverine said, taking the copilot seat.

"Wait a second," Rogue protested, "who is he?"

"His name's Bishop," Wolverine answered before Bishop could. "We can do meet and greet later. Sit down."

Bishop nodded and dropped into the pilot seat next to Wolverine.

"You know, I've never flown anything this advanced," Bishop admitted as they brought the engines online.

"It's a piece of cake," Wolverine answered. "Practically flies itself."

Bishop seemed to gain confidence from that and eased the plane off the ground even as it shook slightly from weapons impacts. "So, you've flown it before?" he asks.

"Hell no," Wolverine answered cheerfully as they ascended.

They quickly discovered to their dismay that the sentinels were able to keep up with them even at top speed.

"I can't shake them!" Bishop cried as the jet rocked with another impact.

"Storm!" Wolverine shouted.

"Their armor is hardened against electricity!" Storm answered desperately. "There's nothing I can do."

"Yes you can," Wolverine growled.

"Logan, I—"

Once again he knew exactly what to do, what to say. "They killed Kurt!"

Storm's eyes suddenly went white. "Everyone hold on to something!" she warned, her voice menacing.

A massive tornado dropped between the X-Jet and the sentinels. Bishop cursed as alarm bells went off, and fought desperately to steady the jet as winds tore it in every direction.

The jet was tossed around for minutes, but finally Storm released the tornado to reveal that the sentinels were no more.

Storm slumped back in her seat, emotionally and physically spent.

xxx

A flurry of questions bombarded the President as he entered the White House Press Room, but he waved them off as he approached the podium.

"Thank you all for coming," the President began, immediately silencing the crowded room. Cameras flashed as he spoke. "Today by Executive Order I authorized the deployment of the Sentinel Program. The initial operation focused on the most dangerous mutants we were able to easily locate, and we will continue to act until this threat to our national security is eliminated."

This time not even presidential authority could stop the tidal wave of questions, but that simple statement – no more than a soundbyte, really – was all he gave them. An overwhelmed-looking press secretary replaced him at the podium as he strode confidently out of the room.

A very angry looking Nick Fury stood near the door. "I can't tell you what a terrible mistake you're making, Mr. President," he warned.

"Nonsense, General Fury!" the President answered, clapping him on the shoulder in what would look deceivingly like a friendly gesture to the cameras. "I just guaranteed that history will remember me as the president that solved the mutant problem."


	8. Babysitting

**_Babysitting_**

The sound of rain lashing against the window created a moody atmosphere as Scott sat in the Common Room with some of the students who had stayed behind. For want of anything else to occupy their attention, they were watching the late evening news to see what kind of coverage the Rally was getting. Though most of the older students had indeed accompanied Professor Xavier and the others to New York, Scott was very surprised by the identities of a few of those who chose to remain behind.

"So, what made you decide to stay behind?" Scott asked the two teenagers who sat next to him on the other couch.

Peter shifted uncomfortably and Kitty answered evasively, "I... wasn't feeling well."

Scott smiled knowingly. "And you, Peter? Also not feeling well?"

"It's Bobby and Rogue's first mission," Peter answered, ignoring a dirty look from Kitty at his forthrightness. "We didn't... want to get in the way, you know?"

Scott turned the volume on the television down and turned to face the two students. "Peter, Kitty: you know you're going to be on the team with them any day now. There's no reason to be jealous of your friends."

"We're not jealous!" Peter assured him.

"Things are... different now," Kitty admitted, apparently encouraged by Peter's example. "It'll take some getting used to, but..."

"Mr. Summers!"

Scott smiled at the little girl who stood in the doorway. "Yes, Siryn, what is it?"

"There's a woman and some people at the front door. I told them the Professor was gone, but she said she wanted to talk to you."

Scott frowned, immediately suspicious. _"A woman and some people"...? Emma?_

As Scott stood to follow Siryn out of the room, he caught the Breaking News logo on the television. He inhaled sharply. "Peter, turn that up."

"--shocking scene in downtown New York this afternoon as military forces confronted dangerous mutant terrorists--"

"Oh my God!" Kitty screamed as it showed footage of bodies in the streets.

Unable to control his rage, Scott fired an optic blast at the television, startling everyone in the room. "Peter, Kitty, take Siryn back to the younger students and keep them safe."

"Safe from what?" Colossus, having reflexively gone into metal form, asked.

"I have no idea," Cyclops admitted.

XXX

As Cyclops dreaded, Emma Frost and several of her students stood outside the main entrance of the Mansion. They all held umbrellas as it was raining heavily, and there was not a telekinetic in their group.

Not wanting to look as paranoid as he felt, Cyclops opened the door and stepped outside. "Good evening, Miss Frost," he greeted stiffly.

"Scott," Emma greeted, apparently agitated and lacking her customary icy demeanor. "I know how bad this looks, but we were just on our way to New York for an academic conference."

"What an interesting coincidence," Scott noted coldly.

"We weren't planning on coming here, Scott!" Emma insisted. "But we heard radio reports of the government's attack in New York. We didn't feel safe. You were the only place we could think of..."

Cyclops _knew_ he should be suspicious. He knew he had every reason not to trust her. But for some reason...

"Emma--"

"I know we didn't precisely part on the best of terms, Scott. I'm prepared to overlook that if you are."

All of Cyclops's logic and reason creid out against this, but he felt an odd sense of guilt seeing Emma and her students standing out in the rain. This was a very different situation.

"Alright," Scott agreed reluctantly. "You can use the guest rooms."

"_Thank you_, Scott," Emma replied with an uncustomary amount of warmth.

XXX

"Cyclops!" Peter called as Scott re-entered the Mansion. "I have the Professor on the line-- oh," he noticed the group of people.

"What are _they_ doing here?" Kitty asked, eyeing Emma very suspiciously.

Emma smiled. "Delightful to meet you, young lady. I'm--"

"I know who you are," Kitty cut her off, then looked at Scott expectantly.

"They're just here until we can figure out what's going on with the military," Cyclops assured her, but gave a subtle nod to indicate she was right to be suspicious. He took the phone from Colossus, and said, "Thank you, Peter. Would you and Kitty please show Miss Frost and her students to the guest rooms?"

"Of course," Peter agreed.

Scott stepped into a nearby classroom for privacy and put the phone to his ear. "Professor?"

"Scott," Xavier answered.

"I'm glad you're alright. We just saw it on the news. Did you get everyone out safely?"

There was a painful pause, and Cyclops knew something was wrong. "Regrettably, no. We lost Kurt, Scott."

Cyclops almost punched the wall in frustration.

"We got all the students out safely, and quite a few other civilians. I'm afraid we're going to have some guests for the foreseeable future."

"About that," Cyclops added hesitantly. "We already have some. Emma Frost and a few of her students."

"_Emma_?" Xavier repeated incredulously. "We seem to be seeing quite a bit of Miss Frost lately. I begin to share your suspicions, Scott."

"I know," Scott agreed. "But I couldn't in good conscience turn her away."

Another pause. "Of course."

"I know what you're thinking, Professor. I promise you I'm not being manipulated. Not this time, anyway."

"I'll trust your judgment, Scott. As I should have all along. Consider yourself back on active status."

"Thank you, Professor."

"I can't estimate when we'll be back. We're being extra cautious because of all the military aircraft in the area."

"Be careful, Professor."

"You as well, Scott."

XXX

As the X-Jet wasn't designed with privacy in mind, there was precious little to be had, especially with all the refugees on board. Still, the others were trying to give Storm plenty of space.

Logan was not.

He went looking for her as soon as Rogue assured him she could take over at copilot.

Logan had looked at her skeptically, to which she indignantly insisted she had been practicing.

"Hey," Wolverine said softly when he found Storm alone in the briefing room.

Storm turned away to hide her tears, unwilling to appear weak. "Oh, Logan. Do you need me to fly? I'll be up in a minute."

"No, we're covered," Logan assured her as he moved closer. "I just wanted to see how you were holding up."

"I got a teammate killed, Logan," Storm answered bitterly. "How do you _think_ I'm holding up?"

"It wasn't your fault."

"I..." Storm's composure was hanging by a thread. "I need to be alone right now, Logan."

Wolverine gently turned her around and looked into her eyes. "No you don't," he answered with a surprising amount of tenderness, echoing the words Storm had spoken to him just days ago.

They were suddenly kissing, without a second thought. In that moment, so much that had been hanging unspoken between them was fulfilled. It felt natural, as if they had always been together.

And then he was holding her, and she wasn't afraid to show her tears, though she still looked so strong.

"It's not fair," Storm whispered.

"I know," Logan replied gently.

"This is going to sound crazy, Logan... but I swear, he even looked _less blue_..."


	9. Omega Protocol

_**Omega Protocol**_

Against his better judgment, Cyclops found himself knocking on the door to Emma's room after the children had been safely put back to bed.

"Come in."

He entered, and Emma feigned shock at seeing him. "Scott! I had imagined you would spend the better part of my brief stay ignoring and avoiding me."

Cyclops closed the door behind him and answered, "Don't think that wasn't _very_ tempting, Emma. Unfortunately I don't have that luxury right now."

"Delightful to see you haven't forgotten how to flatter a lady, Scott."

Cyclops sighed and sat down next to the bed. "I just don't trust you, Emma. Even when you were on the team, you were always manipulative. Now… I have no idea whose side you're really on."

"Of course," Emma mock-agreed. "_That's_ the source of your discomfort."

"What are you—?"

But Emma had already moved close to him, and she gently led him towards the bed with her hands.

"No," Scott refused, but there was no conviction in his voice.

"You want this," Emma insisted. "You want _me_."

"No," Scott repeated.

"Then why, Scott, is your heart racing? Your breathing rapid? Your senses tingling." Emma grinned wickedly. "_What are you doing here_, Scott?"

Scott shook his head, as though to clear it. "I… I needed to make sure…"

"Yes, of course. You were being Mr. Responsible. That's what you want everyone to see. But I know you, Scott. I know what you're really like."

Too late, Scott realized what was happening and remembered to employ the rudimentary psychic defenses Jean had taught him. Emma recognized his struggle and actually laughed aloud.

"I'm an empath, Scott. I can make men collapse into tears by_ looking _at them."

"You were never…" Scott labored to answer, "this strong…"

"I'm trying to make you feel good, Scott. You should be grateful…" she reached for him. "Just enjoy it."

At that moment there was a knock at the door, and Emma sighed, looking disappointed as she called, "Yes?"

Havok ignored his immobilized brother and looked at Emma expectantly.

"I've already psychically encouraged the children to go to bed early. You should only have to take out Pryde and Rasputin. Remember to sedate Kitty Cat. Prisoners who can walk through walls are so troublesome. Once that's taken care of, take the subject to Cerebro."

Scott couldn't even move, Emma had so completely overpowered him. She looked at him and sighed. "Just when we were about to have fun. Another time, perhaps."

xxx

"Whoa!" the White House guard held up both hands and stood in front of the gate. "General, can I see your clearance for those firearms?"

Nick Fury crossed his arms. "These men are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Major. We're invoking Omega Protocol."

The color drained from the young officer's face. "But that's only for use if…"

"Yes. If you'll come with me, Major. We'll need an official witness.

The man glanced nervously at the armed men flanking the General, and Fury smiled. "You know better than that, Major. Those gentlemen don't exist."

xxx

The Secret Service were immediately notified of the Omega Protocol, so the only agents Fury and his men encountered on the way to the Oval Office were those prepared to escort them and determine the legitimacy of the Omega Protocol.

In other words, the legitimacy of their coup.

The President rose from his desk upon their noisy entry into his office. "General Fury? What's the meaning of this?"

"Call off the Sentinels, Mystique."

She tried to maintain the illusion, but her agitation made her true appearance visible for a fraction of a second. That was enough to make the Secret Service draw their weapons, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents raised theirs as well.

Mystique reverted to her true form and raised her hands, apparently complying. "Well, it was worth a try. How'd you know?"

"I guessed," Fury answered, and no one was sure whether or not the enigmatic General was joking.

In a flash, Mystique was across the desk and had kicked one of the Secret Service agents to the ground. She was blindingly fast, so as the others opened fire their bullets sailed harmlessly around her. Mystique took the opportunity to change her appearance to match General Fury's, and dove at him, hoping to confuse the agents.

What she didn't count on was someone of Fury's rank being competent in hand-to-hand fighting. Fury ducked her first punch and threw an elbow into her face, staggering her back. That dazed her enough to give the Secret Service and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents time to raise their weapons at her again.

Mystique would not go quietly, however, and she yelled angrily as she threw a roundhouse kick at Fury, but he blocked the kick with a hard chop, sending her headfirst into the President's desk. The impact was enough to knock her unconscious, at which point she reverted once again to her true form. Not taking any chances, the agents quickly shackled her.

"The President suffered a sudden, fatal stroke," Fury announced calmly, as though reading something in a history book. "The state funeral will be closed-casket, in accordance with his wishes expressed in a newly discovered will.

"Someone call the Chief Justice and tell him to swear in the Vice President," he added flatly, as though resolving a trifling detail.


	10. Rise of the Phoenix

_**Rise of the Phoenix**_

Havok probably tossed Cyclops into the cell harder than was strictly necessary. The energy field went up immediately.

"Emma, whatever you're doing, Professor Xavier and the others aren't going to let you get away with it."

Emma smiled triumphantly. "Charles can't stop me anymore, Scott. The next time you see me I'm going to be the most powerful mutant in the world."

"Emma, think about what you're doing."

"Magneto might be a megalomaniac, but he's right about the humans. Today's incident, these 'sentinels', it all only confirms it. We can't live among them. They're savages."

"Emma, the woman I knew—"

"It's evolution, my dear. I've merely discovered the next stage. Don't worry. You'll have a place in the New Order. Whether you want one or not."

_God. She's gone insane._ "Emma—"

"Goodbye for now, Scott."

xxx

"Alex?"

"Everything is in place, ma'am."

"Excellent. Once Cerebro is activated, it is absolutely essential that no one be allowed inside. Any interruption might prove fatal."

"Yes, Miss Frost." Alex glanced uncomfortably back in the general direction of the brig. "If I may… do we really need _him_?"

"Your brother is special to me, Alex. I value your loyalty, but his defiance… futile though it is, I find it… delicious."

xxx

Cyclops paced around the cell in frustration. "Damn it. There must be something we can do."

Colossus glanced up from his spot next to the cot. "I'm afraid I haven't had any luck waking Kitty."

Cyclops slumped against the wall and fell into a sitting position. "No. Whatever sedative they gave her will be very effective." He shook his head. "Damn it. How could I have been so _stupid_?"

"A question even the most gifted of geniuses have asked at some point in their lives, Scott," a very familiar voice commented. "Perhaps I can be of assistance."

Cyclops openly gaped at Beast. "_Hank_? But you're—"

"Surely my position as a research student at Miss Frost's Academy cannot lead you to believe I've lost all sense of reality, my friend."

Scott sighed with relief. "Don't take it personally, Hank. I just don't know _what_ to believe anymore."

Beast keyed a few controls, and the energy field disappeared. "_I_ believe we must stop Miss Frost from her cryptic but likely genuine threat to become the most powerful mutant alive."

Cyclops patted Beast on the shoulder. "Good to have you back, old friend. Peter—" Colossus was immediately on his feet. "Get Kitty somewhere safe, then quietly – _very_ quietly – get the children to the tunnels."

Peter looked disappointed, and Scott knew he had to be thinking, _Not again!_

"This is important," Scott assured him. "As of this moment, you should consider yourself an X-Man. And your first order is to get those kids to safety."

Peter snapped to attention. "Yes, sir!" He smiled. "Thank you."

Scott nodded, and said, "Go!" Peter gathered Kitty into his arms, and was gone.

"This might not be the best time to mention this, but I will likely need a new research sponsor once Miss Frost discovers I've betrayed her."

xxx

It didn't take Cyclops and Beast long to reach Cerebro, and when they did enter the hallway only Havok stood between them and the door.

Havok cursed loudly and fired an energy blast at them.

"Hank, duck!" Cyclops shouted, and fired an optic blast to intercept Havok's attack.

"She should've killed you when she had the chance," Havok lamented as they both fought against the strength of their respective energy blasts to move closer.

"Yeah, Emma's problem was always an overabundance of compassion," Cyclops answered sarcastically. "What the _hell_ are you doing helping her, Alex?"

"I'm so glad we can still talk like this," Havok replied bitterly.

Both of them cut off their energy blasts at the same moment, knowing they were useless against each other, and rushed to meet each other in hand-to-hand combat.

Havok quickly threw an elbow, which Cyclops ducked, and tried a snap-kick at Havok's midsection, which he avoided by jumping backwards.

"She's insane, Alex," Cyclops persisted.

Havok grunted as he blocked a punch from Cyclops, then connected with a right hook. "She's going to make the world safe for mutants. She's going to do what Magneto always _talks_ about doing, but is too self-obsessed to actually _do_."

Cyclops shook off the impact and drove his knee into his brother's midsection. "If you believe that, _you're_ insane."

Suddenly a blue blur from the ceiling shot past Cyclops and hit Havok in the chest.

It turned out to be Beast, who backflipped onto his feet after kicking Havok. "I hope I'm not interrupting the sibling rivalry, but I felt expediency was best."

Cyclops smiled. "Thanks, Hank. Now let's get in there." He stepped forward towards Cerebro, and the scanner recognized him.

"No, wait!" Havok protested. "You can't interrupt her!"

But the computer had already said, "Welcome, Scott Summers." And the massive door hissed open.

The scene that awaited Cyclops and Beast was overwhelming. The walls of the room appeared to be on fire, and the brightness overwhelmed their senses.

Shielding their eyes with their arms and trying to squint to see the center of the room, Cyclops and Beast moved cautiously into the room.

And there she was. She was restrained in some sort of machine. But she was there, alive and practically glowing with energy.

"_Jean_!" Cyclops yelled.

Emma Frost stood directly across from Jean. She was wearing the Cerebro helmet, and appeared to be engaged in some sort of psychic battle with the immobilized Jean Grey. Her concentration broke as she glanced over after hearing Cyclops's voice, and that pause proved fatal.

Jean screamed, and everyone staggered away from her as waves of energy like shockwaves knocked them back. Her eyes opened, glowing bright orange, and every electronic instrument in the room exploded in showers of sparks and flame.

"You fools!" Frost screamed. "This was our only chance. Now there's no stopping it!"

It became obvious the room was going to collapse. Still, Beast had to drag Cyclops from the room.

xxx

For safety, they completely evacuated the Mansion while Cerebro and the surrounding rooms collapsed. The storm had passed, and the night air was deceivingly tranquil as they stood outside the Mansion, surveying the damage.

Scott stared motionlessly at the rubble. "Jean…" he breathed.

Suddenly there was an explosion, and rubble rained down on them.

And there was Jean, glowing so brightly with energy that it was impossible to look directly at her. She just floated there for a few moments, and then suddenly was wreathed in flames.

"My God…" Beast whispered breathlessly.

The Phoenix had risen.


	11. The End?

_**The End?**_

"Jean!" Scott shouted, moving as close as he could without being burned.

"Scott, stay back!" Emma warned, shrinking away in abject terror, an emotion Cyclops had never actually seen from her. "It's not her, it's…"

"_Phoenix_!" shouted Jean's voice – but it wasn't entirely Jean's voice. She smiled at Cyclops, but it was a much more distant smile than that of a lover. "_Do not fear, Scott Summers! Jean Grey loves you with all her heart, and so you are under my protection._"

Cyclops looked dazed. "You're not… you're not Jean."

"_Jean Grey lives. You may speak with her shortly._" She turned to Emma, and if possible it seemed the flames burned even hotter. "_But first…_"

"No!" Emma protested. "I… I didn't. It wasn't _me_. I was seduced by the psychic energy of the Phoenix. The… the power. My God, the power…"

"_ENOUGH EXCUSES!_" Flames shot from the sky, forming a circle containing Jean and Emma. Jean hovered over Emma threateningly. "_You meant to claim my power as your own, foolish girl. You meant to control me. No one can control me! I am evolution! I am life itself!_"

Emma suddenly gathered herself. "Maybe I can't control you… but I did absorb some of your power. And I don't intend to die like this." She stood bolt upright, and her eyes flashed orange.

"Wait!" Scott protested, but it was too late. Emma and Jean fired massively powerful energy bursts at each other, creating a shockwave that threw everyone gathered around to the ground.

"You're too dangerous!" Emma shouted over the deafening sound. "No one can be that powerful and be uncorrupted!"

"_I must be pure. I will recover what you've stolen. And then I will kill you._"

"Not today!" Emma shouted, suddenly releasing all of her energy in one burst.

But Jean – or the Phoenix, or whatever she was – appeared barely phased. And Emma staggered backward, clearly spent.

The sound of unsettling laughter filled the air. "_Is that it? Even with part of my power, that's the best you can do?_" She rose threateningly.

"Please…" Emma almost whispered.

"JEAN, NO!" Cyclops shouted, suddenly running between the two.

"_Get out of my way, Scott Summers,_" she warned.

"Jean, this isn't you! You would never take a life like this! Stop this!"

The energy surrounding Jean faltered for the briefest of moments, and her expression suddenly looked more human. "Scott, I…" but her expression hardened and she was once again wreathed in flames. "_Get out of the way if you want to live, Scott Summers._"

"Fight it, Jean!" Scott implored. "You're stronger!"

Again the terrible laughter. "_Foolish boy. I am the most powerful force in the universe. No mortal, no matter how gifted, can withstand my power._"

In the distance, Scott heard the sound of an approaching jet. At first he felt relieved, knowing Professor Xavier was coming, but he knew there was no way he could get here in time.

"_I will only warn you one more time,_" Phoenix threatened.

"Emma," Scott said quietly. "If you want to live, do exactly as I say."

Emma nodded stiffly.

"Get me in there."

"_What_?" Emma demanded incredulously. "Are you _insane_?"

"I need to be inside her mind. Trust me. I know what I'm doing.

"Jean," Scott said, still refusing to address Phoenix directly. "I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. You have to fight this. You have to. I love you, Jean.

"I love you," he repeated firmly.

xxx

Aboard the X-Jet, Professor Xavier suddenly gasped.

"Professor?" Rogue asked tentatively. "Are you okay?"

"I've just detected a massive outburst of psychic energy…" Xavier explained. "We need to land! Now!"

"Sounds like I should fly."

Bishop gladly vacated the pilot's seat without complaint, and everyone was relieved to see Storm back.

Rogue glanced at Wolverine, to see if he wanted to resume the copilot position, but he merely winked encouragingly, which buoyed Rogue's spirits even more.

xxx

The jet landed literally in the middle of the lawn, near where a small group of people seemed to be gathered. Xavier was the first one out, flanked by Storm and Wolverine. Rogue and Bobby were staying on the jet with Bishop and the others for now.

"Emma," Xavier said as he saw the woman shakily getting to her feet. "Don't you think you've about overstayed your welcome?"

"Charles," Emma replied, obviously rattled. "You have no idea."

As they moved past Emma, they saw Cyclops clinging to someone.

Wolverine snorted. "Oh geeze. Which state of grief is the one where you—?"

Scott had turned slightly at the sound of their approach, revealing a slender woman in a leather uniform with brilliant red hair.

"_Jean_?"

xxx

A full psychic scan by Professor Xavier confirmed it. The woman now lying motionlessly on a bed in the infirmary _was_ Jean.

But she wasn't alone.

"When she wakes up…" Cyclops asked tentatively, "will it be _her_, or…?"

"Until we can be sure, perhaps it would be best that she not wake up," Beast pointed out.

xxx

"You should have believed me."

"I'm not in the mood for your games anymore, Erik," Xavier answered sharply.

"Come now, Charles. You know the rules."

Xavier leaned closer to the monitor. He was as close to enraged as he had ever been. "You killed innocent mutants to further your agenda. Explain _that_ to me, Erik. Explain how _that_ is for the betterment of all mutantkind."

Magneto sighed. "I fear I can no longer explain myself to you, Charles. You have become so polluted by _homosapien_ ideals that I no longer hold out hope that there is a place for you in the New Order."

For the first time since they had known each other, Xavier issued Magneto a direct threat. "You have crossed a line that cannot be un-crossed. I have been too lenient with you because of our former friendship. That ends now. As of today, I will devote every resource, every ounce of energy, every waking moment to bringing you to justice."

"_Human_ justice, Charles?"

"You had better hope you are that lucky." With that, Xavier ended the transmission, and tried to regain his composure.

But before he could make much progress, he felt a sudden psychic jolt.

"Professor!" Storm exclaimed as she entered his office.

"I know, Ororo. She's awake."

xxx

Perhaps fittingly, Cyclops and Wolverine were with Jean in the infirmary when the others arrived. Cyclops was on his knees at her bedside, Wolverine stood alone next to the door.

"Jean?" Storm asked tentatively, and Xavier closed his eyes as he psychically reached out to her.

"It's her," Scott assured them.

Jean was obviously weak from her ordeal, and she made no effort to sit up. "Scott tells me I've missed a lot of excitement."

xxx

Storm had been surprised to see Wolverine leave the infirmary after just a few minutes, and she chased after him in the hallway. "Hey!"

"Hey," Wolverine echoed, seemingly calm.

"I was afraid you were taking off again," Storm admitted as she caught up to him.

It was understandable that she thought the sight of Jean with Scott would drive him away again. After all, it certainly had in the past.

But Wolverine just smiled, and from the bottom of his heart told her, "Got no reason to leave anymore."

xxx

Based on the X-Men films of Bryan Singer and the X-Men comics by Marvel Comics

I do not own the X-Men, or any associated characters and concepts

Charles Xavier, aka Professor X  
Erik Lensherr, aka Magneto  
Emma Frost, aka White Queen  
Logan, aka Wolverine  
Ororo Munroe, aka Storm  
Jean Grey, aka Phoenix  
Scott Summers, aka Cyclops  
Alex Summers, aka Havok  
Marie D'Ancato, aka Rogue  
Raven Darkholme, aka Mystique  
Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler  
Hank McCoy, aka Beast  
Bobby Drake, aka Iceman  
General Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director  
Piotr "Peter" Rasputin, aka Colussus  
Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat  
Lucas Bishop, aka Bishop  
Warren Worthington III, aka Angel  
Jubilation Lee, aka Jubilee  
Bolivar Trask, Secretary of Defense


End file.
